Exploring Wollaton Hall and Deer Park: Nottingham’s Must-Visit Spot

Wollaton Hall

This grand building is 450 years old and was built between 1580 and 1588 by Sir Francis Willoughby, at the time when Elizabeth 1 was Queen of England. Sir Francis Willoughby was wealthy from early coal mining in Nottingham and had enough money to build this great place.  It’s a Grade One listed building and is one of the finest Elizabethan Manor Houses in Britain.

As you enter the park from the main road, you’ll see before you this impressive building standing on a small hill. We parked our car in the lower car park, which cost about £5 for the whole day, and started walking up towards the hall across a huge grassy field. It’s free to go inside, which is now a fabulous natural history museum. It opened in 1926 and has a huge collection of about 750,000 objects including fossils, shells, insects, and taxidermy.

As you explore the collection look out for, and get your kids to say hello to, Gerald the Giraffe and George the Gorilla. One room that really caught my imagination is the microscope room in which you can view extraordinary miniscule sculptures which are positioned in the eyes of needles and on top of pin heads! I also enjoyed the Fossil Collection and seeing the fascinating displays dating back millions of years and was interested to learn that around 443 to 419 million years ago most of Britain was a tropical reef; hard to imagine on a chilly November morning!

The Deer Park and Lake

There’s 500 acres of parkland to explore but where were the herds of deer we had come to see? We wanted to see some deer, this being the main reason for our visit. Apparently, there have been deer here since the 14^th Century. We walked up to the hall and couldn’t see any. We walked behind the hall – none anywhere. Starting to feel disappointed, where were these elusive creatures? Then whilst walking behind the hall down towards the lake we spotted one sitting proudly in the middle of a field.

Wanting to get a closer look but taking heed to keep a good distance (50 metres) I managed to take a lovely photo. As I walked ever so slowly towards him our eyes locked. Was he warning me not to get any closer? So, if there was one deer where were the rest of the herd? Were they hiding in the surrounding woods and undergrowth? We walked back up to the hall pleased, but still wanted to see the entire herd, and low and behold upon gazing out back down towards the lower car park, there they all were. They’d obviously wandered across from the other side of the park while we were busy searching for them next to the lake.

I was able to take some great photos whilst keeping my distance. There were a few other people nearby who were also enjoying seeing the herd. However, we looked on with alarm as a couple of young women made their way right up to the herd to pose for a selfie. Did they not realise that this is dangerous, especially during the rutting season? (September-November) During rutting season the large males clash antlers to attract a mate, and getting close to them can make them stressed and they could charge at you. Calving season is during June and July so the deer will be very protective of their young fawn.

Fun Fact: There are about 90 red and 120 fallow deer at Wollaton.

The Camellia House

I love orangeries, especially heated ones. There’s something wonderful about stepping into a hot glasshouse in winter and feeling the humid warmth.  I often visit the hot house at Woodthorpe Park in Winter, just to thaw out on a cold day, and The Eden Project is on my bucket list to visit once again next time I go to Cornwall.

Anyway, I was looking forward to Wollaton’s because it has a large collection of Camellias and is aptly called The Camellia House. It’s Grade 11 listed, is one of the earliest cast iron glasshouses in Britain and was built in 1823. It has 25 different species of Camellia, some of which are a hundred years old, so they would have been planted when it was built. Camellias are beautiful flowering shrubs that bloom in Winter and early Spring.  I vaguely remember visiting it as a small child. Anyway, very disappointingly it was closed the day we went, so we had to make do with looking through the windows.

The Cafes and Gift Shops

These are in the old stables set around a courtyard. You can sit inside or outside for a coffee, enjoy a snack or light lunch soaking up the atmosphere whilst enjoying a Latte or hot chocolate.

Events at Wollaton Park

Throughout the year Wollaton Park hosts lots of different events. In the Summer there is Splendor, an all-weekend music festival with big names playing. It’s a sort of very mini-Glastonbury but without the camping. During summer they also hold open-air theatre events. Imagine enjoying a performance of Romeo and Juliet during a warm July evening, sipping a glass of something nice, whilst sitting outside on a blanket with a delicious picnic. At Christmas they have a fantastic Light Trail that runs throughout December, and they serve yummy hot chocolate to sip, as you walk around enjoying all the amazing light instillations.

Wollaton Park Circular Walk

If you are looking for a nice easy circular walk around Wollaton Park you can check the full details and map on AllTrails. For 30% off AllTrails click here. 🥾

Benches

What I like about Wollaton Park is that there are loads of benches to relax on, enjoy the scenery and stop for a picnic.

Batman Film Location

Are you a Batman fan? If so, you probably already know that Wollaton Hall was the film location for Wayne Manor in the Dark Knight Trilogy in 2012.

Private Golf Course

As we strolled down to the lake behind the hall, we found ourselves walking right next to Wollaton Park Golf Club. The numerous signs positioned along its boundary informed us that it’s a private golf course and strictly no entry. But what really amused us was seeing the golfers with their remote-controlled caddies. What’s all that about? Is it so difficult to wheel your golf clubs around that you need them remote controlled? The world’s gone mad!

Kids Play Areas

Right beside the Lower Car Park is one of two large kids’ play areas; yet another reason to bring all the family.